Turning Blue: Ran
by Uncontrol
Summary: sequel to Rose Red. Ran restarts his training with Somali. Third in the Ran series... By Diana Serra


"Turning Blue"  
  
Leaving the shop without closing it, (Youji should be back soon) Aya followed the woman at a distance. He got lost in the twists and turns she took as he tailed her. Suddenly, he lost sight of her and stood in an unfamiliar alleyway. He took a tentative step back and felt a body behind him.  
  
"If you're too distracted, you lose your touch, Abyssinian," the female voice said from behind him. "They have trained out of you all I have shown you. We start from the beginning."  
  
Aya exhaled deeply and followed Somali to where she lead. They came out of the alley and upon a car waiting for them. Aya's eyes widened slightly. "My car...."  
  
Somali nodded. "I'm just borrowing it. You can drive. Get in, and drive exactly where I tell you. Clear your mind and don't think about it. Just where I tell you." The car ride was uneventful, long and winding, meant not to be repeated. "Kritiker and I are taking no chances," she had told him. Aya knew better than to question.  
  
They tried to keep up a conversation to occupy Aya's mind.  
  
"So you mean to tell me we move against Rot?" he asked.  
  
Somali nodded. "They have recently risen to our attentions."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"They are a distraction from the mission at hand. Especially Mirage. They are becoming more dangerous in their quote inactivity. Schwarz will continue on their current path. A mission for them can be delayed."  
  
"So what about Eden? She's been very helpful to Weiss lately."  
  
"Yes. What about Eden, Aya-kun? She seems to have a quite active interest in my favorite kitten."  
  
Aya raised his eyebrows. "Yes, it seems so."  
  
"And?"  
  
"...And I'm not sure. She's actively competing with Youji and..."  
  
"Ah. Balinese."  
  
"...And has taken to the Licht girl, Chelsea, as well."  
  
"We've been watching Licht. They are no threat for now. They may, in fact, be more quote in the way than worrisome."  
  
There was a long silence. "Why are you back, Somali? I thought they retired you."  
  
"Kritiker wants an agent watching Weiss that our enemies do not know. This buys us some time.... You will eventually make them know me, and then the plan is set."  
  
Aya frowned.  
  
Somali reached over and ran fingers through his hair. "You've grown up well."  
  
"Well as an assassin," Aya mumbled.  
  
She sighed sadly, "That too."  
  
The ride grew longer, and night began to fall. They pulled into the hidden driveway of a house obscured from the road by a thick forest of trees. As Aya parked, he looked around in awe. "I remember this place."  
  
Somali smiled slightly. "This is where I trained you before, many years ago. It's sad that Kritiker would not let you remember the times we had here.... I suppose it was for the best."  
  
When they entered the house, a flurry of images all came unbidden into Aya's mind. He fought to keep them out, but to no avail. Most were random images with no meaning, but there were some all too familiar. He watched helplessly as his house was blown up... as his sister got hit by a car... the funeral that followed, being held in a woman's arms. He looked up, and Somali held him close. Was this a memory or...? Somali aged in front of him to the nearly thirty year old that led him here. It was a memory, but why...?  
  
Somali smiled softly. "All will come back to you in time, Aya. We have to do this slowly, or you'll lose control over it. We can't afford for you to lose control at this point. Your enemies have moved in too close. In your fragile psychic state...."  
  
"Schuldig," Aya whispered, eyes closed.  
  
Somali frowned. "Yes. Him especially. Schwarz is too powerful to get a hold of you right now. Estet will no doubt see you as corruptible to their ways. My job to you now is to make sure that doesn't happen. If you can get a handle on whatever powers Kritiker repressed, you might be able to use them effectively against Estet.... Besides, I can't stand to see you in such pain as you were. Those nightmares.... With them returning, you will be thrown by what you must do for control. But as I train you again, you'll begin to remember." She helped Aya to a sitting position, then pulled them both to standing.  
  
Aya looked around. So familiar....  
  
Several hours later found Aya and Somali in a pitch-black room lit only by a single candle. The two sat across from each other, meditating. Both of their faces held neutral expressions as if their minds were detached from their bodies. The candle burned brightly against the harsh darkness, casting angry shadows.  
  
Aya was in his black assassining gear, minus his jacket. Beads of sweat dripped down his arms and made his shirt cling darkly to his body like a second skin. His face broke its meditation with a snarl.  
  
"Will you keep Balinese out of this?"  
  
Somali smiled inwardly.  
  
"Bombay too."  
  
"Aya, you need to stop getting so easily distracted."  
  
Aya opened his eyes and stared at her. Slowly she drew herself back into her body and stared back at Aya. A smile began to grow on her face. Aya looked away at her mental accusations. She watched a drop of sweat travel from him forehead, off his chin, and land on his glove. She blinked a couple of times.  
  
"You're the one that keeps bringing it up, Aya. I'm just following your lead," she said calmly.  
  
Aya's face started to grow angry but fell at the thoughts that continued to plague his mind. "Youji..." he whispered softly.  
  
"You know what you've done to him, don't you?"  
  
Aya nodded then swallowed hard. He'd been heartlessly teasing Youji for so long since... since Bombay.... Only this inward reflection showed the assassin that he might actually really care for his partner.  
  
So much had happened since he rejected Bombay. Aya's feelings for the boy had gotten so tangled in his revenge that it had torn the two apart. Aya had thought there was no chance for recovery but.... Bombay's recent acts of caring, "I can't kill you either," and the flowers....  
  
The flowers....  
  
Schuldig. Bombay sent a much more emotionally rewarding collection to the Schwarz assassin. And yet.... And yet Bombay had admitted jealousy? What was it about Schuldig? He was nice to look at and all, but even a handsome enemy was still an enemy. Maybe it was Aya's coming into power that drew him to find someone with similar abilities. That one powerful similarity, combined with the other redhead's good looks....  
  
Crushes....  
  
Eden was still a mystery to him. Maybe the others were right when they said that Aya didn't have much interest in girls. Eden came to him as a complete surprise. Aya didn't know how to act and think. She wasn't one of Weiss, and mission talk got her upset, feeling left out. Not that Aya could blame her. It was a lot to go through. Her team was her family.... But Aya still suspected her motives. Whatever they were, it wasn't going to make a difference when it all came down to it. If Eden wanted to pursue him, he would encourage her. She is an intriguing challenge... and a beautiful woman.  
  
And then....  
  
Balinese, Youji. How long had Aya watched him work, watched him kill, all and still see Youji for the caring soul he was. Aya could see Youji's feelings even without his new powers. It had been so very long since anyone had genuinely cared so much....  
  
Not since Somali....  
  
Aya was indeed having a pang of consciousness. Right before the two had entered the shop to work today, Aya had pulled a nasty trick on Youji. Several in fact. The kiss he had denies the handsome blond still wished to be had on his own lips. Maybe it was better to drive Youji away. Maybe he'd finally give up and find someone more deserving of his love....  
  
Love.  
  
Aya's eyes snapped open. He hadn't realized he'd shut them. Somali looked at him with a curious look on her face. She'd seen all he'd been thinking. Aya looked away from her, a sad tired expression growing on his face. Somali reached out and touched Aya's shoulder. He shook his head, and her hand fell away.  
  
"Are you sure you're ready for this, Aya?"  
  
He nodded soberly.  
  
"You do realize the dangers if you do this alone?"  
  
Again, he nodded.  
  
"Then let's begin." She blew out the candle.  
  
Aya sat in the center of that hot, dark room reading out with his mind. Somali kept careful watch of her protege as he concentrated on making a connection. Time passed with little interruption until Aya's face flickered with pain. Somali quickly overrode his connection and caught his body as it fell.  
  
She held him and brushed his hair with her fingers while the nightmare/memory wracked his brain. When the tremors began to subside, she exhaled deeply. It was Aya's own tortured mind that caused it, not the one on the other side. As his body stilled, Aya looked up to Somali.  
  
"Please. Somali, please let me back."  
  
She frowned at his weakened state and refused to let him continue. His pleading eyes sought hers.  
  
"I have to..."  
  
"Not him, Aya, please..."  
  
"Somali..."  
  
Reluctantly, she pulled back, allowing Aya the freedom as he wanted. She watched carefully. When Aya finished, he laid his head back on her lap. Something had happened, and Somali wasn't exactly sure what. The secret infuriated her and pleased her at the same time. If he could keep his conversation secret, then he was getting better.  
  
"Sleep, Ran. Recover your strength."  
  
And he did sleep. Tomorrow would be the test of his training. 


End file.
